Dex

Such a wonderful game. Deus Ex 2D is the best description. If you like something like Deus - take it without a single doubt

Having spent at least 20 hours completing Dex, what impressed me the most is the characters. The solid writing is delivered by excellent voice acting and the sprite work is of the high quality retro point-and-click games dedicated to their character design. The music at each NPC's location fit perfectly lending a familiarity to each character that made revisiting them much like seeing an old friend. The world design is also complete with its own character. Regions are unique with the futuristic slums appropriately dismal and the neon high rises sufficiently cyberpunk. The art is great and the associated audio is fitting, but it isn't as solid when compared to the depth of the character of the NPCs. The level design is mostly straightforward with some Metroidvania flare in alternate paths that can be explored with character upgrades. The combat is accessible with instant kill takedowns being my preferred approach. For stronger enemies Dex's punches, blocks, and dodges are pit against their attack patterns. Fights often become wars of attrition and once an area is cleared enemies do not respond unless the story demands it. The AR/hacking combat shifts out of a 2D brawler to a 2D shooter where Dex's avatar is bombarded with attacks from various viruses and intrusion countermeasures. The story leans on familiar concepts from sci-fi but has enough twists to be original. For me, story is just an excuse to explore more game mechanics in a cool environment and Dex's story achieves this. It doesn't distract but it doesn't enhance the experience either. I enjoyed exploring the world of Harbor Prime and learning the game mechanics to hone my skills and advance my character, but now that I'm done I don't feel the need to go back. Although I see that there are achievements I have not unlocked, I'm not motivated to go back and get them. Dex is good and does what it does well, but it didn't draw me in like great games can. I recommend it, but it isn't a favorite.

Bought this game on sale, totally worth couple of bucks! If you love platformers, RPG and want to spice up about 12 hours of your life — that's your best option! It has some bugs & weak moments tho, so keep this in mind.

I went into it hoping for a fun game, but I just couldn't get into it. The controls on PC are clunky at best. I was planning to push through it, but then HACKING. The hacking mini-game is just terrible. Maybe it's better on console, maybe i'm just too old, either way it was enough for me to decide to move to a different game.

This game is janky, clearly indie, with cringeworthy dialogue at times. The overall plot and setpieces and tone are clearly heavily inspired by or derivative of Deus Ex, and almost feel like a fanfic at times. And yet there I was at 2 AM, unable to put the game down, having a lot of fun with its silly but addictive bullet hell 'hacking' minigame and silly combat. Just like Deus Ex, it's pretty linear, with the exception of a few (but not many) clever and untelegraphed choices you can make, and some distinctly branching end paths. It runs smoothly and early bugs have been thoroughly squashed by now. And it's just plain F-U-N.